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SecDef Jim Mattis.. was given a blunt reminder by his South Korean counterpart of the vast amount of North Korean artillery within range of Seoul. South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo suggested that U.S. and South Korean missile defences simply could not stop all of them."Defending against this many LRAs (long-range artillery) is infeasible in my opinion," Song told Mattis, citing a need for strategies to "offensively neutralise" the artillery in the event of a conflict.Mattis replied: "Understood."

Our goal is not war, but rather the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," Mattis said, as North Korean soldiers kept watch

October 27, 2017 12:43Doklam all over again: Let's see how SoKo reacts:

Following Chinese President Xi Jinping's re-election as head of the Communist Party, South Korea and China are discussing ways to overcome a bilateral dispute triggered by the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery from the U.S. here.China apparently wants South Korea somehow to acknowledge Beijing's claim that its "core interests" have been infringed upon. Such an acknowledgement may be a prerequisite to President Moon Jae-in's visit to Beijing, and it wants it put into a joint statement. The fact that the two sides are looking for ways to resolve the dispute is a positive development, but Seoul cannot agree to such a bizarre demand simply to pave the way for the president's visit.The purpose of the THAAD battery is to defend South Korea against North Korean missiles and has nothing whatever to do with China. The moment the North Korean nuclear and missile threats disappear, there will be no need to keep the THAAD battery. The systems are designed to intercept North Korean missiles, so their radars are not forward-acquisition types and have limited range. And even if they were set to long-range reconnaissance mode, they would be prevented from snooping on China's military maneuvers due to the earth's curvature and radar waves traveling in a straight direction.If China is seriously afraid of being spied on, it should raise the issue with Japan, whose THAAD systems are equipped with full-fledged forward-acquisition radars. In other words, China's core interests, whatever they may be, are in no way being infringed on, but Beijing has shown no interest in listening to Seoul's explanation. That is probably because it is only interested in the accusation itself and the leverage it can gain from it in bringing South Korea to heel and driving a wedge between Seoul and Washington. If the government agreed to the demand, China would achieve both aims.China itself has a long track record of snubbing international regulations and protocol and has been known to exact vengeance on countries to achieve its political goals. U.S. Senator Cory Gardner, chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on blah-blah, estimated South Korea's losses from China's unofficial boycott in retaliation against THAAD at US$12 billion. But if it kowtows to China's demands, it may end up losing far more.Back in 2000, when South Korea and China were engaged in a dispute over Chinese garlic imports, Beijing took the unreasonable measure of banning Korean-made cell phones and polyethylene. It was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. At that time, Seoul acquiesced. If it had stood up to Beijing, China would not be behaving this way again.Any statement over the THAAD issue should not come before a summit between the leaders. If prior fine-tuning is necessary, China should heed the precedent of 2004, when the two sides were quarreling over Chinese distortions of history by claiming the Koguryo Kingdom as its own. The two sides reached a verbal agreement back then that said Seoul and Beijing will "understand and consider" the other side's concerns. That prevented bilateral relations from worsening. This kind of agreement would be much more appropriate.The THAAD dispute cannot be overcome solely by the South Korean government. It needs to persuade the U.S. to voice its stance as well. That means U.S. President Donald Trump, who visits Seoul and Beijing next month, could come to its aid. This is the time for close cooperation between Seoul and Washington.

ramana wrote:So what would a no-war CVI denuclearization(CVID) look like? UB this is for you.

IMO, the "I" is clear recognition that the mijjiles and nukes are cheen. Thinking through this in the context of the THAAD takleef, US may be saying that the response to NoKo threats against CONUS will be a nuke Pershing type wall aimed at cheen. The SoKo mantri - Mattis theater quoted above says tactical nukes and pre-emptive tactical nukes, very plainly. DT vijit to SoKo at this time is also highly suspect. Why now? Maybe a blatant threat/ultimatum to cheen **AND** Moon?

Now let's consider how there can even be a CVID. It says: "cheen-enforced regime change" or US-enforced decapitation leaving NoKo glowing.

Per my Evil 6th coujin, there has been a Track2/Track3 effort going back decades, to achieve a Nook-Phree East Asia. Meaning the cheen-russia border, maybe Ussuri river disengagement, NoKo, SoKo, Japan. The head of such an effort retired from yoo ess yak stable and became prejident of a SoKo university: convenient position to pursue such efforts. Roos-cheen border is supposed to have a massive number of tactical nukes, which have never been accounted under any arms-control negotiations, and are the biggest obstacle to reach nuke disarmament.

So now if US puts enough tacnukes facing NoKo DMZ and Pershings further south, they are also within convenient reach of much of the chinese industrial coast and SCS-facing military assets. Russia won't like tacnukes there, but OTOH, it means the cheen are outnumbered and have to face 2 fronts. Plus Japan is moving towards nukes and offensive navy/air fauj.

These are the responses to cheen's NoKonuke bright idea to dominate SCS and Pacific. 3-carrier-group threat to wipe out NoKo, starting with a pre-emptive tactical nuke barrage accompanied with conventional cruise missile and naval air attacks, plus B-1s taking out all C^3. Decapitation would be a bonus.

Act now and the war gets fought entirely on cheen's doorstep, not over Canada or Hawaii. DT will probably convey that time has run out, SoKo can either grow ba**s, or be left to utter destruction, US is going ahead unilaterally. And yes, US will use tacnukes to protect US forces on DMZ.

In this whole thing, the brilliant cheen strategy is that TIME IS ON THEIR SIDE. They look like peace-makers when in fact they are seeking to dominate all of Asia while they take over Europe and destabilize the Americas. From their pov that looks perfectly logical: the ancient Nostradamus prediction is that cheen will overrun Europe (overdue now by about 20 years).

This leaves the US facing the extremely unpleasant task of having to decide WHEN to start the war. Classic Hamlet problem. With anyone but DT in WHOTUS it would be a foregone conclusion: US sits idle until the cheen Navy docks in Los Angeles and PLA marches down to Seattle from Vancouver (which is already cheen).

So now we see why cheen-bought outlets such as CNN etc are so shrill against DT and his merry gang: they have ruined the show. And of course Putin is to blame. Then again, Putin would really not like to see a US-dominated united Korea, would he? Ideal outcome for Putin would be a US-cheen MAD proceed to cut each down to size well below Mother Russia. Both Asia **AND** Oirope come under the kind protection of the Balaclava Boyz.

Chinese geologists have warned North Korea that the consequences could be catastrophic if it conducts another test at the mountainous Punggye-ri nuclear facility, the South China Morning Post reports. North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test at the facility, situated roughly 50 miles from China's border, in early September. After the test, a senior Chinese nuclear scientist warned that another test could blow off the top of the mountain and lead to a massive collapse, which could allow radioactive waste to be blown across the border into China. This warning came as a North Korean delegation met with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Geology in Beijing on September 20. Pyongyang's September nuclear test was its most powerful yet. It was estimated to have a yield of 100 kilotons, which would make it roughly seven times as strong as the U.S. atomic bomb that decimated the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II in 1945.

Yeah, that's been doing the rounds the last few weeks too. "Avoid Hard Decisions, Surrender Now". Says "Made In China" too. I have acquired a rainwater tank in the backyard. Need a solar panel and a biogas reactor. Hope squirrel meat is palatable and that I can figure out how to catch them. Fried cockroaches are said to be a delicacy. For one thing, an EMP attack will make it hard to watch CNN. That means Extinction of Humanity, doesn't it?

As North Korea races to build a weapon that for the first time could threaten American cities, its neighbors are debating whether they need their own nuclear arsenals.

The North’s rapidly advancing capabilities have scrambled military calculations across the region, and doubts are growing the United States will be able to keep the atomic genie in the bottle.

For the first time in recent memory, there is a daily argument raging in both South Korea and Japan — sometimes in public, more often in private — about the nuclear option, driven by worry that the United States might hesitate to defend the countries if doing so might provoke a missile launched from the North at Los Angeles or Washington.

"A Nuke in every backyard will ensure world peace" -- Confuseus. Looks like China is teaching NoKo to shift the world towards more nukes -- that should get all the sanctimonious EU and US to reconsider their pompous NPA-type nonsense. The ante is being raised for the US -- now it is a matter of calling the US's bluff. Either they attack NoKo, or Japan and SoKo will take a second look at the whole "nuclear umbrella".

OTOH, not providing an umbrella to NoKo/Japan would make China the preeminent power to lord over these countries, and this is in line with all "co-sphere of prosperity" stuff that Kissinger and Co have been touting since the 70s, which envisions China and US as "partners in stabilizing the world". What the US does with NoKo will be a litmus test.

No litmus test. This is it. a) kick the pakistan out of noko and dare the cheen to raise finger. Will bring Iran & TSP swiftly to their senses, Taiwan will brighten up and biss on the cheen, Phillippines will occupy a few more islands, Japan will take over the Spratlys and build a Trump Tower Resort & Casino there. Myanmar will discover golas and kick cheen out of the naval base. Asian markets will zoom. Xi will face a firing squad, or worse, several roads in Gobi will bear his name, or at least his sweat.

b) Do nothing and return the 3 a/c groups to San Diego, tails between legs. Everyone will biss on US and more on DT. Hawaii will be re-named "JinpingXi Province". Seoul will be Kim Il Sung City. US will go into utter isolationism, markets will crash.

b) is looking more likely at this time, since it is clear that the usual bunch of cretins in the State Dept. are back in charge, after kicking out all of DT's trusted people, and seeing as to how US Pakistan policy is back in the Pakistan, where it has been since 1950s. (They are also pimping Robin Raphael propaganda in americal-paki rags like rediff and India abroad).

This suggest that the usual GUBOing to NoKo via "talks" that are directed by China is what is in the cards next -- and this will buy China more time (which is their aim anyway) to make USA GUBO on all fours to China in short order. Maybe time to consolidate all the savings into old socks and stash them under the bed.

It seems that there was a heated debate in the SoKo parliament recently over Moon's government deciding to dispatch $8 million of "humanitarian aid" to NoKo. The ruling party using every bit of jugglery to justify this.

Won't be surprised if this move to GUBO to NoKo is supported by USA and China, for their own reasons. If SoKo does this, then it shows that US is deliberately aiding (or worse, too weak to resist) China's rise in Asia, not withstanding Trump's BS.

Kashi wrote:It seems that there was a heated debate in the SoKo parliament recently over Moon's government deciding to dispatch $8 million of "humanitarian aid" to NoKo. The ruling party using every bit of jugglery to justify this.

Sometimes, SoKos make WKKs look like hardliners in comparison.

400% agree

Though the common thread of thought is that there are already enough pressures on common man on employment/standard of living front ( by developed country standards and they always like to benchmark against the world's best) and the growing loss of world share in many of their erstwhile monopolies (like shipbuilding/automotive/ steel/hi-end products/semicon etc) due to severe Chinese competition.They do not want to be further screwed due to a retarded cousin with nothing to lose and dont mind bearing minor tantrums as long they are left alone to become the world no 1 in whatever they are doing

So i really dont see any party making much difference since that's the thought process of aam aadmi on street

I dont think the USA has any more locus standi in the world esp under Trump . Time India charts its own destiny with or without like minded partners. Hitching with a declining power is not much use anyway.

“I have never heard of this type of training exercises before in North Korea, but am not surprised,” said former South Korean three-star lieutenant general LTG Chun In-bum .”They must realize how serious the situation is. In this day and age of precision bombing and all-weather capabilities, [such] North Korean civil exercises either come from ignorance of modern war or just a propaganda campaign to frighten their own people and induce obedience.”

Wonder if there is a ban on iodine pill imports. Can one get these w/o prescription or does one just eats tons of iodized salt and hope some iodine sticks inside?

Wow! I thought "tincture of Iodine" was iodine dissolved in 400-proof vodka. Let me see if there is something where iodine is mixed with Chateau Lafite 1865, or Kingfisher Beer. No sense in not enjoying one's last hours.

South Korea said that another nuclear blast could trigger a collapse of the mountainous site and a leak of radioactive materials.

Earlier this month monitoring agency 38 North said that the launch site was suffering from ‘Tired Mountain Syndrome’ – a geological condition that occurs when underground nuclear blasts cause the surrounding rock to become weak and permeable.

Five of the country’s six nuclear tests have been carried out at this location.

Earlier this week North Korea ramped up its rhetoric by stating that the promise of a nuclear bomb test should be taken “literally”.

The country’s foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, said last month that Pyongyang was considering conducting “the most powerful detonation” of a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific ocean.

That threat, made after Donald Trump vowed to “totally destroy” North Korea if they continued their nuclear programme, has been given more weight by Ri Yong Pil, a senior diplomat in North Korea’s Foreign Ministry.

He told CNN: “The foreign minister is very well aware of the intentions of our supreme leader, so I think you should take his words literally.”

If radiation leaks out it will be detectable.This may be the explanation for the drills etc seen there? I don't see them being able to provide enough radiation-proof clothing (if there is such a thing) for everyone. Then again, will a lot of radiation still be there? It's probably rained a lot on the mountains since the initial blowup, and there is no heat to make the plumes rise. So the radiation hazard may be very localized, hain? Question is, whether this is enough blow to H&D to trigger a Pacific test.

UlanBatori wrote:If radiation leaks out it will be detectable.This may be the explanation for the drills etc seen there? I don't see them being able to provide enough radiation-proof clothing (if there is such a thing) for everyone. Then again, will a lot of radiation still be there? It's probably rained a lot on the mountains since the initial blowup, and there is no heat to make the plumes rise. So the radiation hazard may be very localized, hain? Question is, whether this is enough blow to H&D to trigger a Pacific test.

UlanBatori Ji :

H&D's Nukes - being Chinese - need Lizard's Permission! Do you think the Lizard will give such permission?

I think cheens put RDX borrowed from Tarrel and Deepel paki fliends in a white Toyota, into those tunnels . But this is an unexpected turn: the only response possible is

U 3-star-King e-Diots!!

Not a justification to send in the B-1s. Coup coming? How the heck do 100 get killed, ok, possible I guess, during desperate shoring-up operations (probably all political prisoners) but another 100 rescuers?

Western Components Used in N.Korean MissilesThe claim was made Sunday by Hugh Griffiths, who leads the UN Security Council's Panel of Experts monitoring sanctions on North Korea, on CBS show 60 Minutes. He said UN investigators found a manufacturer's logo and serial numbers on debris of a North Korean rocket recovered by South Korea in February 2016.

Apparently sold to Taiwan.

NoKo relies on foreign businessmen in places like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Beijing, Singapore, and Malaysia to acquire the equipment for them (and send them in through cheen) without giving off any association with North Korea